The present invention relates to a process for producing baked snack confectionery such as pretzel, cracker and the like. More specifically, it relates to a process for producing baked snack confectionery which is hardly blistered upon baking even if dough is prepared without rolling and molding, or piercing to form openings.
Baked snack confectionery such as pretzel, cracker, or the like is confectionery whose main ingredient is wheat flour. In general, a cracker or pretzel is produced by baking dough obtained by leavening and molding the raw material, wheat flour, blended with yeast or baking powder. In comparison with a biscuit, a cracker or pretzel has a lower content of fat such as shortening, emulsified fat and the like and a lower sugar content, thereby accelerating gluten formation. Then, unless evaporation of water upon baking and puffing proceeds efficiently, a tough gluten network is formed, which inhibits evaporation of water and results in blisters and formation of an inhomogeneous porous inner structure. Thus, product salability is deteriorated.
For preventing blisters, in general, dough is pierced and then subjected to puffing and baking. However, in this method, there is such a defect that formation of openings in the resultant product cannot be avoided. Then, other various attempts have been made.
For example, JP-B 5-17821 discloses a method for preventing blisters, wherein dough in the form of chips is obtained by subjecting raw material flour to mixing, rolling, boiling and cooking, molding and the like, followed by adjusting the dough to a given certain water content by a primary drying, and pressing the dough with maintaining it at a given certain dough temperature to form small cracks on the surface thereof to facilitate removal of water.
In addition, from the viewpoints of both formulations and production steps, attempts also have been made and JP-A 6-327396 discloses that large blisters can be prevented by using as main raw materials wheat flour and starch; blending them with certain amounts of live yeast, yeast food, vital gluten, refined sugar, salt and margarine to obtain dough; adjusting the resultant dough to a certain water content; storing the dough under refrigeration for a certain period of time; molding; drying; and then baking, thereby facilitating removal of water upon baking.
Although these methods have achieved advantages to some extent, their applicability is restricted to a specific range because a water content and production steps are limited and advantages are observed in only certain limited formulations.
The present invention relates to a process for producing baked snack confectionery such as cracker, pretzel and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide the process, wherein baked snack confectionery can be readily produced with minimizing blisters without paying attention to the restriction required in both formulations such as water content, fat content and the like, and production steps in a conventional method.
The present inventors have studied intensively to achieve the above object. As a result, the present inventors have found that blisters upon baking can be prevented without paying attention to a fat content and a water content by blending baked snack confectionery dough of cracker or pretzel type, whose main ingredient is wheat flour, with fat powder having a specific melting point. Thus, the present invention has been completed. That is, the present invention is a process for producing baked snack confectionery which comprises adding fat powder having a melting point of 45xc2x0 C. to 75xc2x0 C. to cereal powder whose main ingredient is wheat flour in an amount of 0.2 to 10% by weight based on the weight of the cereal powder.
Although the mechanism for preventing blisters of baked snack confectionery such as cracker and pretzel by addition of the fat powder having the high melting point in the present invention is not fully elucidated, it is considered that the fat powder having the high melting point added forms fine openings throughout a cracker or pretzel, thereby facilitating water removal through the openings to prevent blisters.
In the present invention, the word xe2x80x9cbaked snack confectioneryxe2x80x9d refers to confectionery whose main ingredient is wheat flour such as cracker, pretzel and the like. The confectionery is produced by blending cereal flour including the main ingredient with a leavening agent, among others, yeast and/or baking powder to form dough, subjecting the resultant dough to leavening or fermentation, molding and then baking. In comparison with a normal biscuit, the amounts of fat such as shortening, emulsified fat and the like are smaller (the fat content is at most 20% by weight based on cereal flour whose main ingredient is wheat flour) with lowering a sugar content (at most 20% by weight based on the same cereal flour) to relatively accelerate formation of gluten. The advantages according to the process of the present invention such as prevention of blisters, etc., can be exhibited in products having lower fat and sugar contents of dough as described above. The cereal flour to be used other than wheat flour is not limited to a specific one, and examples thereof include rye flour, barley flour, corn flour, rice flour and the like. In the cereal flour to be used as the raw material, preferably, 80% by weight or more is wheat flour.
The fat used in the present invention is not limited to a specific one in so far as it is edible. Examples thereof include hydrogenated and interesterified products of palm oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, rice bran oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil and the like.
The fat should be in the form of powder. When it is in the form of liquid or paste, crispy mouthfeel cannot be obtained. The powder form includes any form in so far as it can be called as powder. For example, it may be, for example, in the form of scales, globes, rods and the like. The production process of the fat powder is not specifically limited. For example, there are spray cooling process wherein melted fat is sprayed into a chiller to form powder, drum flake process wherein melted fat is poured on a cooled drum to solidify the fat and scrape the solidified fat, and the like. Particle size of fat powder is not specifically limited in so far as the powder has average particle size of not less than 0.1 mm. Preferably, the powder has such particle size that it can be readily blended with cereal flour such as wheat flour to be used, preferably, the powder should pass through 10# JIS standard sieve. When powder having average particle size of less than 0.1 mm, the fine openings as mentioned above are not formed and the desired advantages of the present invention cannot be achieved. For example, although a fat composition obtained by emulsifying fat with a saccharide, protein or emulsifying agent is also called as xe2x80x9cfat powderxe2x80x9d and has large apparent particle size, its powder particles are formed by aggregation of many fine fat particles and the saccharide, protein and the like and its substantial particle size is very small (about 10 micron). Then, the desired advantages are hardly expected.
The fat powder having the high melting point used in the present invention should be used in an amount of 0.2 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.5 to 5% by weight, more preferably 1 to 3% by weight based on the cereal powder whose main ingredient is wheat flour. When the amount is less than 0.2% by weight, blisters are caused in the resultant cracker and pretzel. When the amount is more than 10% by weight, a powdery flavor is caused in the resultant cracker or pretzel and this adversely influences the flavor of the end product.
Further, the melting point of the fat powder should be 45xc2x0 C. to 75xc2x0 C., preferably 50xc2x0 C. to 65xc2x0 C. When the melting point is lower than 45xc2x0 C., the powder is melted at once upon baking and blisters cannot be prevented. When the melting point is higher than 75xc2x0 C., the resultant cracker or pretzel become hard. This is undesired from the viewpoint of mouthfeel.
The production process of the cracker or pretzel of the present invention is not limited to a specific one and any conventional process can be employed. For example, the fat powder having the high melting point is added to a part or almost all of wheat flour, followed by addition of water or cow milk. The resultant mixture is mixed with yeast and allows to leaven for about 18 hours. Then, the remaining raw materials are added to this and the mixture is mixed. Then, the mixture further allows to leaven for about 4 hours to obtain dough. The dough is rolled and molded by stamping. The molded dough is baked in an oven heater at 260xc2x0 C. to 320xc2x0 C. to obtain a cracker. For producing a pretzel, for example, the above dough (provided that leavening time is shorter) is molded in the form of sticks and, after treatment with an alkali (passing through an alkaline hot water bath to put a gloss on its surface), sticks are baked at about 230xc2x0 C.
The fat powder having the high melting point can be added at any time prior to baking in the production steps of a cracker or pretzel in so far as it can be mixed or blended with other ingredients. Preferably, the fat powder is blended with wheat flour and starch used beforehand, resulting in homogenous mixing or blending and excellent operating characteristics.